PESA WA : SPE WA Joint Technical Evening Meeting – Celebrating 50+ Years of Northwest Shelf Mega Gas Discoveries

9^th March 2023 SPE WA and PESA WA Joint Technical Evening Meeting

4.45 pm – 8.00 pm, 9^th March 2023

Celebrating 50+ Years of Northwest Shelf Mega Gas Discoveries

Presented by Don Poynton & Andrew Thompson

This year marks the 60^th anniversary of Woodside’s first exploration permit on the Northwest Shelf. At some 337,000 km sq, encompassing an area greater than the size of the British Isles and about half the size of Texas, the permit was possibly the largest offshore oil and gas concession ever granted and well beyond Woodside’s ability to operate. Immediately after being awarded the permit in June 1963, two Woodside Directors set off overseas in a quest to find a farminee with offshore operating experience.  British company, Burmah Oil Limited, having done its own research in the region, quickly agreed to take a one-third interest in the permit and operatorship of the joint venture.

Between 1964 and 1976 Burmah Oil, through its Australian subsidiary BOC of Australia Limited (BOCAL), was responsible for all offshore exploration and appraisal activities on the Northwest Shelf. This included ~80,000 km of seismic acquisition and the drilling of 58 wells, of which 50 were wildcats, with 13 discoveries and 8 appraisals. In 1971, the joint venture made four giant gas-condensate discoveries at Scott Reef, North Rankin, Goodwyn and Angel.  In 2021, to mark the 50^th anniversary of these discoveries, Woodside helped ex-Burmah staff fund the making of four videos which captured the history behind two of these discoveries – Scott Reef and North Rankin. These videos include interviews with many of the people involved and footage which had been lost for many years or in some cases had never been shown publicly before.

Thursday 9th March: registration open from 4:45pm, networking drinks & food from 5:15pm

(Technical presentation introduction starting at 5:45pm)

Cost:

PESA Members:                                $30.00 (Members must Log on to the PESA website to see the member prices)

Non-members:                                 $50.00

PESA Students Members:             Free (registration is essential)

Bookings close 12 noon 8th March for venue and catering purposes.